Mystery: I, the Hermit, am too eager to improve

Chapter 190 Audrey: The Joker is actually myself?

Dilline seemed to sense something and looked in his direction.

Roy nodded with a smile.

The other person smiled slightly, didn't linger, and left with the book in their arms.

Sequence 6's Eye of the Secret cannot yet estimate sequences as accurately and perfectly as the Mysterious Temple through the state of the mental body.

but.

Judging from Dillin's outward appearance, she should have already advanced to Sequence 8 and become a Sequence 8 Fighting Scholar.

The promotion speed is okay.

but.

That turn of her head just now was enough to show that Dillian has a strong spiritual intuition; she's definitely a promising talent.

What is the most terrifying thing about a spy?

I watch everything.

An incomplete Eye of Insight cannot be turned off at will; if it sees everything, it will basically not survive more than a few days in the land of Backlund.

after all.

This is a place where everything exists.

If you're unlucky, you might encounter an angel or a vessel for divine intervention...

One look and you're blown away.

but.

Having strong spiritual intuition can largely prevent such situations, but given Dilline's personality...

"Forget it, I didn't invest anything anyway, so I won't lose much if I die."

Roy pulled his silk hat down low and walked toward the quiet meeting room next door.

"Room 11."

He searched for number 11 in the corridor and finally found it in a secluded corner.

Roy knocked gently on the door.

"Madam, I'm Iger White. May I come in now?"

"Of course, Mr. Egger, I've been waiting for a long time."

A woman's voice came from inside.

Yes, it feels familiar.

Roy had an excellent memory and matched the voice to the person's identity in a second.

Audrey Hall.

I never expected it to be her.

Before he could open the door, it was opened first.

A maid stood by, smiling and welcoming them.

Roy nodded slightly and walked into the secluded room, where he saw a golden retriever in the corner.

Its eyes were fixed on him.

Roy didn't show anything unusual, but he kept his emotions in check, not letting his emotional state show.

"The most dazzling gem of Backlund, it's such an honor to meet you here."

Roy expressed his admiration.

Audrey's expression stiffened for a moment, then she said in a relaxed tone, "Mr. Egger, I'm sorry I didn't tell you beforehand, but I just happened to be passing by today and then I saw your portrait."

"That's okay, my job is to answer questions."

Roy sat down in the main seat.

Afterwards, he tidied up the desk and wiped the surface.

"Miss Audrey, do you have any questions regarding knowledge?"

"Yes, I've recently become very interested in the occult, but true mystery has a threshold, so I have some questions I'd like to ask you."

Audrey was very polite.

Roy smiled and said, "Miss Audrey, you don't need to be so polite. Just call me Egg."

He paused here, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of jasmine tea.

"What questions do you have? If I know the answer, I can give you one at my discretion, but I will need to pay you accordingly."

"no problem."

Audrey agreed decisively.

money……

For her, a hundred or two pounds was no different from pocket money.

Roy nodded slightly.

She then asked, "I've heard that the Earth Church is skilled in planting?"

"Yes."

Roy nodded.

Audrey hesitated for a moment, then said, "Then why are you promoting earth-related abilities? Won't that help the Church of the Earth?"

"Won't."

Roy smiled.

He took a sip of tea and said, "We in Remburg are allies with Loen, but not with Fenneport. They will not side with the Earth Church."

"Can you achieve an even lower cost?"

Audrey asked again.

Roy paused for a moment, then looked at her: "Do you represent yourself, or Earl Hall behind you?"

Audrey hesitated and wavered.

Of course, she hadn't asked her father; this trip was actually her own idea.

but.

At this moment, however, she felt she could represent Earl Hall—

Simply remain silent.

Asking detailed questions would be beneficial and harmless to the nobles.

after all.

Now, a large tract of land belonging to the nobles is lying fallow, and the death of the Duke of Negan has caused some of the previous possibilities to become unsettled.

She analyzed her current situation with Earl Hall and the nobles, and concluded that contacting Aiger would be beneficial.

big deal...

He declared to Count Hall that he had become an extraordinary being.

An extraordinary person has a much greater say in decision-making than someone who is a "girl".

Audrey had thought everything through.

"I represent Earl Hall."

Roy gave a half-smile.

Audrey realized that the other party understood she had not informed Earl Hall.

He truly deserves to be called an extraordinary figure in the Church of Knowledge.

She sighed inwardly.

"it is good."

What?

Audrey was somewhat surprised and looked up at the other person.

Roy smiled and said, "Since you represent Earl Hall, I can reveal some secrets."

"Please speak."

Audrey suppressed her joy.

Roy said, "In terms of cost, it's definitely impossible to achieve the same level as the Earth Church. That's the result of their centuries of accumulation, while there aren't many people in the Knowledge Church who study these things."

He sighed.

"Everyone is afraid that the ideology of the Earth Church will make a comeback, so the vast majority of people do not study this area."

"Then what's the point?"

Audrey was puzzled.

Roy chuckled, "You mean to say that grain from Fenneport is very cheap now, maybe even cheaper than growing it yourself, right?"

"Yes, in the current situation, everyone except the nobles has benefited, and even if the nobles plant according to your plan, it will not change the situation."

Audrey nodded.

That's exactly what she didn't understand.

The Grain Act was repealed, and apart from the nobles, most people actually supported it.

Ordinary people received cheap food.

Capitalists obtained cheap labor.

Trade became available between countries, leading to greater economic prosperity.

No matter how you look at it...

The Grain Act should all be repealed.

This was Audrey's idea.

She is not someone who stands solely on the side of her own class, but rather a remarkable woman who can empathize with others and think from their perspectives.

Roy didn't refute, he just smiled and nodded.

"As you said, without any other changes, the grain produced by Feneport will indeed allow everyone to eat cheaper grain."

"Um?"

Audrey realized that the key word in the other person's words was the "but" at the end.

"But you shouldn't just be thinking about the present."

Roy took out a piece of paper and wrote down his thoughts.

Price wars, no one planting, grain monopolies, rising grain prices...

This is a route.

The other one only has one word—

war!

Roy handed it over.

That's my opinion.

"You can take this to Earl Hall; I think he'll understand what I mean. Of course, Miss Hall, you can also think about it carefully yourself."

Roy smiled. "This time you can pay only 100 gold pounds, because this is an extension of my deal with Earl Hall and the others."

"Thanks."

Audrey held the paper, staring at the few words on it, her mind lost in a jumble of thoughts.

She can understand it.

The first approach, from a commercial perspective, squeezed out domestic grain production and then used grain as a lifeline to manipulate prices...

The chain reaction caused by rising grain prices can be terrifying.

Even though she hadn't yet anticipated the chain reaction it would have.

As for the second point.

That would be even more terrifying.

war!

Whose war is it?

Inside the carriage, Audrey sat with a grim expression.

"Miss……"

"Annie, let me think about this in peace for a while."

"Yes."

Anne didn't say anything more.

Susie stood to the side, wagging her tail, her mind replaying the scene from before.

I have a feeling...

Something's not right.

but.

It's just a dog.

Although it knows a lot, it cannot truly understand human nature unless it can truly grasp the secrets of mind readers.

As things stand, Susie still has a long way to go.

Audrey sighed.

She looked outside, having already made up her mind.

Outside the villa in Queens, a carriage quickly drove through the gate, and Audrey got out of the carriage and ran upstairs.

"Audrey, you can't run like that, it's not ladylike of you."

"Mommy, where's Daddy?"

"They are talking to Earl Wolf upstairs; do not disturb them."

The Countess advised against it.

Audrey nodded: "I'll go wait a bit; I have something important to discuss with Dad."

"Alright, but you must be mindful of etiquette and not give Earl Wolf a reason to laugh at you."

"Okay, dear Mom."

Audrey stuck out her tongue as she spoke, then slowly walked upstairs, quickening her pace once she was out of her mother's sight.

Susie followed lightly from behind.

After waiting upstairs for a while, Count Wolf came out with a sigh. When he looked at Audrey, he forced a stiff smile, greeted her, and left.

Earl Hall saw him off at the door.

When he returned, he looked at Audrey.

"My beautiful princess, what can I do for you?"

"Dad, I went to see that Egg White."

Audrey said directly.

Earl Hall frowned slightly and said, "What do you want to see him for?"

His tone carried a hint of dissatisfaction.

Audrey hesitated for a moment, then said, "Dad, I've become an Extraordinary, and now I'm a spectator."

Earl Hall paused for a moment, then sighed.

"I already knew."

"what?"

Audrey was stunned.

Earl Hall laughed, "How could we not know you took so much from the family treasury? It's not like I'm unaware of the existence of Extraordinary Beings."

Audrey blushed slightly, feeling somewhat ashamed.

She thought she had hidden it well, but it turned out that her parents had no secrets at all. If only she had known...

She no longer needs to hide it so much.

Audrey said, "I noticed Mr. Egger that day, so I wanted to get in touch with him and see what his true intentions were."

"Audrey, this is too dangerous. He is a Sequence 6 Extraordinary. A beginner like you should not be so reckless."

"This is what Earl Hall admonished me," Lord Hall said.

Audrey promptly admitted her mistake: "Yes, I know I was wrong, but he gave me a note."

As she spoke, Audrey handed over the note.

Earl Hall raised an eyebrow, took the folded paper, and unfolded it.

There are only a few words above.

He quickly finished reading it, then slammed the book shut.

A few seconds later, he looked at Audrey.

"Go to the study."

Upon entering the study, Earl Hall sat down and said, "Audrey, although I have known for a long time that you are an extraordinary being, I am still very pleased that you would be so frank in this situation."

As he spoke, his expression turned serious, and he picked up the paper in his hand.

"This is very important."

Is what he described possible?

Audrey pretended not to know—

She knew that the first possibility was very likely to occur!

Earl Hall nodded: "Yes, the first one is terrible, but other countries also have food, so we don't necessarily have to buy it from Fenneport."

"The second one is more frightening."

His expression was serious.

Audrey pondered for a few seconds, then suddenly looked up.

"Because of the kingdoms of Rembrandt and Fenneport?"

"I don't know, but Mr. Egger's statement suggests he may have learned some information or foreseen some situation."

Earl Hall replied, then added, "Even if that's not the case, the situation he described certainly warrants attention."

war……

In the event of war, if the country runs out of food and relies entirely on foreign trade—

This situation is terrifying!

If there are no cost-effective alternatives, then there's really nothing we can do, but currently there are clearly still options.

Earl Hall thought for a moment and said, "Audrey, since you've met him, please go and tell him that we're having a ball this Friday."

"it is good."

Audrey did not ask any further questions.

She knew that this ball was definitely related to the previous deal, or perhaps the deal had already been made before, but...

With the Duke of Negan assassinated, the deal may not go smoothly.

The other party was also worried.

That's why I told myself.

Audrey understood the reason, but she couldn't help but sigh in her heart.

She thought she had done everything perfectly, but in reality, many things were not thorough enough. Fortunately, being in a noble family, she didn't have to take the risks of obtaining materials like others.

otherwise.

Given my circumstances, I might not have survived until now...

Audrey was very self-aware.

She sighed, cherishing the present moment even more.

"Dad, which countries do you think will go to war?"

"I never understood why the Church of Knowledge sent Aegon to Backlund, but now I see..."

Earl Hall whispered, "He might be trying to win over allies."

"us?"

"Yes, Rune is an ally of Lenburg. I was just thinking about it, and what Egger means is that Feneport will use food to control Rune, and then launch a war against Lenburg."

Earl Hall mentioned a secret.

It turns out that Remnburg was originally part of Fenneport, but it split off because the Church of Knowledge and the Church of the Earth had a falling out.

This also became a major enmity between the two countries and the two religions.

In his view, Egger's actions were likely aimed at eliminating potential threats from allies, ultimately for the safety of Remburg.

Audrey paused, then realized...

If such a war were to actually break out, a terrible food disaster would surely occur in Rune.

Without any preparation, the entire Loen will descend into chaos, and even Backlund will be no exception.

By then...

While nobles could be self-sufficient, many commoners would die.

wrong!

Can nobles truly remain untainted?

Audrey was confused.

(End of this chapter)